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Tag: APC

  • Kokori urges UPU to support APC

    The Urhobo Leaders Integrity Group has urged the leadership of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) to support the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC)in Delta State, Olorogun Ortega Emerhor.

    Its co-ordinator and former Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG), Chief Frank Ovie Kokori, in a statement at an enlarged meeting of the group, said the Uvwiamuge Declaration was between two major political parties, APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP.

    The group met at Oviorie-Ovu, Ethiope East local government Area.

    The group said: “We can see that the Urhobo nation is at a crossroads and any faulty move now will perpetually put our people in jeopardy. The last eight years of the Uduaghan government had been particularly harrowing for the Urhobo nation, and between the six years of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, Urhobo has had much humiliation and uncaring contempt.

    “Our worries today are the different signals of double languages we are receiving from our great UPU against the Uvwiamuge Declaration to either support any of the major political parties between All Progressive Congress or the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and not Labour Party as it is being rumoured.

    “UPU, which is 83 years old, cannot be left solely to the whims and caprices of leaders who will speak in tongues whenever it suits them. We say no, as the Urhobo nation today has two illustrious sons as governorship candidates, Chief O’tega Emerhor of APC, a major political party and a sole beneficiary of the Uvwiamuge Declaration and Chief Great Ogboru of Labour Party, a mushroom party and a repository of failed aspirants of the PDP.”

  • Jonathan should be ready to hand over, says Kogi APC chairman

    Jonathan should be ready to hand over, says Kogi APC chairman

    The Kogi State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Haddy Ametuo, has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to start preparing his handing over notes.

    He added that the fabled 60-year reign of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would come to an end.

    Ametuo spoke with reporters in Lokoja shortly after the APC presidential campaign rally, led by the party’s presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

    He expressed confidence that his party would send the PDP packing in next month’s general elections.

    He said majority of Nigerians, who are unhappy with the performance of the PDP since 1999, desired a change.

    He added that the massive crowd, which has been receiving Gen. Buhari and his entourage across the country, attested to the fact that Nigerians are tired of the PDP.

    Ametuo said the Buhari/Yemi Osinbajo ticket would develop the country, saying their partnership would provide purposeful leadership where insurgency, impunity and stealing with reckless abandon in governance among others would be a thing of the past.

    He thanked the people of the state for turning out in large numbers to receive Gen. Buhari.

    The party chairman said the APC would dislodge the PDP from power in the state, stressing that the state has been worse off under the present administration.

  • PDP, APC disagree on FG agric programme

    PDP, APC disagree on FG agric programme

    • ‘We’d create 3 million jobs’
    • PDP: Jonathan has provided food

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has faulted the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) of the federal government, saying it has not translated to reduction of food prices in the market.

    The party also declared that the description of Nigeria as the largest economy in Africa has not reflected in the livelihood of the common man in the country.

    But the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme and agricultural value chains of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as cardinal achievements of the present administration.

    APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, and the PDP’s representative, Dr. Katchy Onanoju, presented these positions at the third edition of the Nigeria Political Parties Discussion (NPPD) series organised by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) and Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) at the weekend in Abuja.

    Mohammed said: “What we have here are figures, it has not reduced the cost of foods. They rejig the figures and they came and said we are the largest economy in Africa.

    “What are the facts on ground? Nigeria has a population of 170 million. 100 million of them try to make a living on daily basis. With our population of 170 million, government cannot provide us with just 5000 mega watts of power.

    “We said we are the biggest economy and 55 per cent of our youths in rural areas are unemployed, 30 per cent of the urban youths are unemployed, 10 million of our children are out of schools, even 40 per cent of Nigerians could not live up to the age of 40 because of diseases. So, what you cook in your office is not what we feel outside. We are Nigerians.”

    He added that any economy that does not translate to job creation and better infrastructure is not an economy.

    Mohammed, however, said the plan of the APC is to address the needs of the sector one after the other without setting unachievable goals.

    “We said we will construct 3,000 kilometres of super highway and 4, 800 kilometres of rail. There should be relief before reform,” he added.

    The APC spokesperson noted that agriculture and manufacturing would be major sectors the party would use to diversify the economy and create three million jobs especially through a National Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP).

    Onanoju disclosed that the present administration was able to contribute additional 12 million tons of food to national food reserves.

    He said the federal government was able to meet its food production target before 2015.

    Onanoju said: “A lot of rice being imported into the country has been stored in the warehouses for about 15 years and that’s what we consume. But now, there are local production of rice such as Ebony and others.”

    The PDP representative noted that government was able to privatise the power sector and increase private participation in government policy implementations.

     

  • Ogun: APC, PDP in fierce contest

    Ogun: APC, PDP in fierce contest

    In Ogun State, the governorship contest will be hotly contested, reports Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan 

    AHEAD of the 2015 general election, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its main rival, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are locked in a fierce battle over which political party will form the next civilian administration in Ogun State.

    Given the political scenario in the state, following the last gubernatorial election that saw Governor Ibikunle Amosun thrashing the then ruling PDP, analysts say an epic battle is underway in the state as voters in all the nooks and crannies of the Gateway state will be filing out next month to elect a governor.

    While the All Progressives Congress (APC), which incidentally is the ruling party in the state, has vowed not to allow what happened to it in Ekiti last year, when it lost to Ayo Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), repeat itself in Ogun State, the PDP on its own is determined to increase the tally of the state under its control in the zone.

    Currently, the APC is in control of the four states of Lagos, Oyo, Ogun and Osun. The PDP is in charge of Ekiti and Ondo states following Fayose’s surprise victory and Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s recent cross-carpeting from the Labour Party, on which platform he got elected twice, into the PDP.

    The coming of both Fayose and Mimiko no doubt, is responsible for the renewed vigour with which the PDP is pursuing its aspirations in the South-West. Specifically, Mimiko has severally been credited with efforts aimed at reconciling warring factions in the Ogun State chapter of the PDP. It was his numerous efforts that reportedly resulted in the unity rally held by the party few months back.

    Also, hardly had Fayose been elected governor of Ekiti State than he stormed Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, with Ogun PDP leader, Prince Buruji Kashamu, on a sensitisation rally meant to urge party leaders and members in the state to be prepared to dislodge APC from office in the 2015 gubernatorial election.

    Fayose also met other PDP chieftains, including former Governor Gbenga Daniel, ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, amongst others. According to sources within the party, both Mimiko and Fayose have been mandated by the national leadership of the PDP to do ‘everything possible’ to assist the Ogun state chapter of the party in clinching victory at the next polls.

    Amosun looks good

    However, analysts are of the opinion that winning the 2015 governorship election in the state for PDP may be a tall order. This is because, to majority of the people of the state across political party lines, Governor Ibikunle Amosun has performed well in his first term.

    “Given Governor Amosun’s track record of achievements in the last four years, I don’t see how the opposition parties will convince the people of the state to deny him a second term. The governor has shown with his actions that he is committed to rapid development of the state.

    “If you go round the state and sound out the people concerning what they feel about his performance, especially in the area of urban renewal, which has seen the massive construction of roads and bridges across the state, you will see how pleased the people are with him. Even in the rural areas, his electrification and water projects have endeared him to the people.

    “With this scenario, it will be an uphill task for the PDP or the Labour Party or the SDP to defeat him next month. While I agree there could be surprises in politics, the current situation in Ogun State does not favour an upset,” Barrister Bayo Biobaku, human rights activist and state coordinator of Joint Action Congress (JACON), told The Nation.

    It is a widely shared opinion in the state that beyond rhetoric, the likes of Gboyega Isiaka of the PDP will have to convince the people that they have what it takes to surpass the sterling performance of the current governor, who is incidentally seeking another term to, according to him “consolidate on our transformation agenda.”

    “We have listened to many candidates and their parties seeking our votes. They have told us many things Amosun didn’t do well. But we have also seen many things he did well. So, beyond mere promises, his opponents need to tell the people, especially the common folks, why they should vote for them at next year’s polls, instead of the man who has within three years, shown us all that government can actually serve the people.

    “What Governor Amosun has achieved in the area of infrastructural development and empowerment is unprecedented in the history of governance here in our state. It will be a miracle if any of his opponents get half of the votes I expect him to get during the election. Ogun people are not bothered by the intrigues and politics going on amongst politicians and other political gladiators. They will be voting based on what they have seen,” Comrade Lukman Banjoko, an official of Sagamu Community Development Council (SCDC), said.

    Aside his widely perceived good performance, Amosun may also benefit from the unending internal crisis that has rocked the main opposition party, the PDP, since it was ousted from government in 2011. Given the state of the party today, it is unlikely that it can muster enough strength to give APC a good fight, not to talk of defeating Amosun in the governorship contest.

    The crisis that followed the emergence of Gboyega Isiaka from Ogun West, as the candidate of the party is still simmering with ex-Speaker Bankole threatening to dump the party unless he is presented with the ticket without delay. Talks that the Bankole/OGD faction may be heading towards the Aremo Segun Osoba-led Social Democratic Party (SDP) any moment from now continue to unsettle chieftains and members of the party.

    Efforts, even by the national leadership of the party, to end the stalemate, failed as Daniel and Kashamu are also currently locked in a fierce battle over who should fly the senatorial banner of the party in Ogun East. While Kashamu insists he won the senatorial primary election of the party, Daniel says the national leadership of the party asked him to contest the senatorial election as part of a peace deal.

     PDP’s dilemma

    But with Isiaka and Kashamu’s names submitted to INEC by the party, Bankole and Daniel, surprised to be left in the cold, are embittered and unwilling to back the party’s flag-bearers ahead of next month’s polls. The situation, according to a chieftain of the troubled party, Honourable Dave Salako, who served two terms in the National Assembly representing Remo North Federal Constituency, may once again cost the PDP another opportunity to win the state.

    “All is not well and this is because of the actions of the party organs at the top; that is the leaders of the party. It starts from the national chairman, to the National Working Committee (NWC) and whoever that is in the party’s hierarchy. This is because they have seen all that is happening in Ogun State and they are not applying the right antidotes to solve these problems. It seems they are turning away their eyes from the reality.

    We have been inundated with calls everywhere after we found that wrong names were being published as the PDP candidates. Our problem started from the congresses as you are aware, to the primaries and to where we are now. You should know that there were no primaries in Ogun State. Then, how come there was the emergence of candidates? That is a big question. So, all is not well in Ogun State PDP and we can only tell our people to be calm until we have these problems resolved.

    “From the way it is, the solution is far-fetched and I can only speak for myself that come rain, come shine, I will still be in the PDP. Our followers, the electorate, are very angry and they want to move to another party. There is no amount of appeal one can make to them unless the party does the right thing and do justice, fairness and equity,” Salako said.

    Lamenting what he called the “Buruji fire” in Ogun PDP, Salako said he and others had the opportunity of joining Daniel in Labour Party but chose instead to convince the former governor to return to the PDP.

    “In order for us to come together, almost three years to put things together, I relinquished my senatorial ambition to Gbenga Daniel. I wanted him to come back to PDP at that time. Only God knows what it took us to bring them back. Thank God they are back but unfortunately, they are back into the fire of Buruji again.

    “It is a hard thing to say, Daniel was lobbying us to come to the Labour Party. If we had known, we would have joined him there. We would have had a rest of mind and peace and we would be confident of winning the coming election.

    “I relinquished that position and said I will take anything as long as we win, even if it is ordinary board appointment. They asked, what about deputy, I said anything,” Salako added.

    Some chieftains of the party in the state insist that the Adamu Mu’azu-led NWC has not helped matters. To many of the aggrieved party men and women, should the PDP lose the state, Mu’azu and his team should be blamed for pandering too much to the whims and caprices of Buruji Kashamu as against the opinions of the majority in the party.

    “The worst thing that happened to our party was the decision of our leaders to give Kashamu more recognition than any other chieftain of the party here in Ogun State. That was the beginning of the end for us as a political party. How many people here in Ogun already lined up behind Kashamu politically?

    Even in his Ogun East Senatorial District, his candidacy will affect the party negatively. Recently, a leading traditional ruler from the area vowed to resist the emergence of Kashamu as senator representing the area. What that means is that such an Oba is ready to work against the PDP.

    The monarch asked why the PDP deemed it fit, of all its chieftains and aspirants, to give the people of Ogun East someone like Kashamu as senatorial candidate. This is an Oba from Kashamu’s own zone. If he is unacceptable to his own people, what magic can he and his candidates wrought to win across the state? With the current situation in the PDP, I am sad to say Amosun will have it easy getting re-elected,” Fola Coker, a chieftain of the party told The Nation.

    Speaking on the Kashamu issue, Hon. Salako said unless the party addresses certain fundamental issues, the problem in Ogun PDP will affect its chances in the election.

    “I am blaming them for not doing what is right. They are the cause of our problem and I want to stand by it that unless the party addresses that area, there are going to be problems. You cannot stop people from moving because there is freedom of association but some of us stakeholders will remain in the party until we get justice to our side.

    “I don’t have any serious axe to grind with Buruji. The only axe I have to grind with him is that he should be honest and that he should be far away from anything that is politically wrong. He has done so many things that I have seen that are very politically wrong and he is getting away with them. I have pointed them out several times. I have taken him to court but instead of him backing out, he is bringing another weird dimension to the politics of Nigeria. He would get a black document and he wants to call it white to everybody. I verily believe that the man doesn’t want us to win in Ogun State.

    “I have it in my mind that he is working for the APC because if you look at all the candidates he fielded in his so-called order, they are all weak ducklings that can never stand any election and win, though with due respect to those candidates. I challenge him: can he win the Ogun East Senatorial seat for us? He cannot. He is not even qualified. We will challenge him when the time comes. We cannot be under the same umbrella with him unless he mends his ways. Don’t you think the situation on ground appears a playback of the 2011 episode when internal crises contributed to PDP’s defeat??

    “Absolutely, it does. This is a replica of what actually happened in 2011. Let us look at what happened then. Buruji and his cohorts at that time made sure that Otunba Gbenga Daniel and others were sent out of the party. He went to the PPN and the result is here. We lost the election.

    “I am sure if we are not careful, the same thing will repeat because people are itching to move to another party and not to stay under the same umbrella with Buruji. And if they do, we cannot stop them and we will lose that election again. We thought this is a great opportunity for us to claim back our lost glory in Ogun State,” he said.

    Jonathan, Buhari factors

    The February election in Ogun State will also be affected by acceptability and otherwise of the two frontline presidential candidates, President Goodluck Jonathan and General Muhammadu Buhari. According to reports, there is serious anxiety within the PDP over Buhari’s soaring popularity amongst the people of the state.

    APC’s choice of Yemi Osibajo, an indigene of Ikenne-Remo in Ogun State as Buhari’s running mate has also increased the worry of Kashamu, Isiaka and their party men and women, The Nation learnt.

    “If we as a party are not careful in some of our states, we are in trouble, especially when Major General Muhammadu Buhari has picked his running mate from South-West, specifically from Ogun State, Ogun East and indeed from my own constituency, Remo. We have to work harder,” Salako admits.

    But a member of the national campaign committee of the President Goodluck Jonathan 2015 Campaign Organisation, Elder Joju Fadairo, said Osibajo’s candidacy notwithstanding, the PDP stands a good chance of winning in Ogun state come February.

    Fadairo, a former state chairman of the party, said that with the impact of the Jonathan transformation agenda in the state, he is confident that PDP will perform well in the state in spite of all the odds.

    “We have done a lot with the transformation agenda. It is my belief that PDP will do well in Ogun State in spite of all the odds against us as a party. We have good candidates and Mr. President’s achievement will work in our favour. The people of Ogun State are for PDP,” he said.

    But a former national auditor of the PDP, Chief Bode Mustapha, said such optimism on the part of PDP is wishful thinking.

    “Where are they going to get that? Well, let us wait and see. The Buhari-change syndrome is spreading to every nook and cranny of the state. The achievements of the incumbent governor here shall complement the votes here. It is going to be maximum votes here for APC,” Mustapha assured.

    “Our people are wise now. APC is the party to beat in Ogun State and February is just days away, we shall see,” Mustapha said.

     SDP as a spoiler

    Although many would say Amosun is poised to be re-elected, there are fears in some quarters that he may have to contend with the threat posed by the sudden emergence of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on the scene few months back.

    The SDP, founded and led by former governor of the state, Chief Olusegun Osoba, an erstwhile political ally of Governor Amosun’s, according to pundits, should not be underestimated in the politics of the state. This position is based on the fact that Osoba’s faction of the APC, which moved into the APC, is made up of many notable political heavyweights as far as the politics of Ogun State is concerned.

    Not a few were shocked when Osoba led eminent members of the ruling party, including the deputy governor, national and state assembly members, party officials and notable chieftains, to defect to the SDP, after months of intractable differences with the governor.

    And on November 12, 2014, the three senators from the state, Adegbenga Kaka (Ogun East), Akin Odunsi (Ogun West) and Gbenga Obadara (Ogun Central)  formally announced their defection from the APC to the SDP on the floor of the Senate. The three senators backed their action with the presentation of their letters of defection to Senate President David Mark.

    Same day, seven out of the nine House of Representatives members from the state also notified the National Assembly of their defection to the SDP in Ogun. The House of Representatives members include Adekunle Adeyemi, Abiodun Abudu-Balogun, Kehinde Odeneye, Bukunola Buraimoh, Babatunde Ogunola and Olumide Osoba.

    Back home in Abeokuta, three members in the Ogun House of Assembly dumped the ruling APC for the SDP. The state legislators, who jumped on the bandwagon of defection to the SDP, include Oludaisi Elemide, Olufemi Allen-Taylor and Elizabeth Anifowoshe.

    And following the primary elections of both the APC and the PDP, aspirants, who lost in the primary elections for the various elective positions due to the alleged imposition of candidates, have defected to swell the ranks of the SDP across the state.

    It is this happenings within the SDP that is fuelling the fear of a re-enactment of the 2011 situation when the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) broke away from the then ruling PDP in the state, culminating in the loss of power to the then Action Congress of Nigeria.

    However, Senator Kaka said it is wrong to see the SDP as a party out to spoil the chance of another party. According to him, the party will contest and win the February elections.

    “SDP is not out to spoil anybody’s chances. We are out to win elections because we are the true representatives of the people. So, if we have promoted some people and they have failed the people, we still have to go back to the people and tell them that it is not the message we sent them. That is not the direction we want them to go. This is the direction; this is the way forward and that is the exact thing we are doing and we are so confident that the people know their leaders and they know those that they have tried and they have their trust in them. So, by the grace of God, we are far from playing any spoiler role. We are out to win and win handsomely to the chagrin of those who are destroying the state,” Kaka said.

    But the Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Tola Banjo, has allayed fears of the SDP spoiling the chances of the ruling party in next year’s poll. According to the lawmaker, the SDP is a non-issue that should not give anyone any headache.”

     

  • Another APC secretariat bombed in Rivers

    Another APC secretariat bombed in Rivers

    BARELY six days after the secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State was bombed, another secretariat of the ruling party was yesterday bombed in Ngo, the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area of the state. It was gathered that the APC’s secretariat, a bungalow, was bombed by thugs suspected to be working for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the same way it happened during the Okrika bombing of January 11 this year. The people of Ngo, who were woken up by the deafening sound of the loud explosion, had to scamper to safety, with some of them paddling their canoes or moving with speed boats to neighbouring communities to avoid losing their lives to the ugly political development. The Rivers State Chairman of the APC, Chief Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, condemned the bombing of the party’s secretariat in Ngo, which he described as barbaric and uncalled for. Ikanya, who spoke yesterday evening through the Rivers Publicity Secretary of the APC, Chris Finebone, asked security agencies, especially the police, to thoroughly investigate the incessant bombings of APC’s secretariats and attack on members of the party, as well as arrest and prosecute persons behind the criminal activities to serve as a deterrent to others. The Rivers APC chairman also expressed surprise about the conduct of members of the PDP in Rivers State, especially supporters of the party’s governorship candidate, Chief Nyesom Wike, the immediate past Minister of State for Education, who he alleged are fond of destroying APC’s campaign billboards, posters and banners, particularly those of party’s standard bearer, Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside. Ikanya said: “PDP elements bombed the APC’s secretariat today (yesterday) at the headquarters of Andoni LGA (Ngo) in Rivers State. Valuable property was lost to the bombing. It has become the style of PDP members. We have been seeing the trend of violence by PDP thugs in Rivers State. Politically-instigated violence does no one any good. “Any LGA Wike is going to campaign, PDP thugs will move round overnight and remove APC’s billboards, posters and banners to create the impression that Wike is fully on the ground in the area. They are just deceiving Wike. By the grace of God and support of Rivers electorate, Dr. Dakuku Peterside will win the February 28 governorship election in Rivers State and succeed Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi on May 29, 2015.” The Chairman of the APC in Andoni LGA, Amos Gogo Amos, who spoke on the telephone, expressed shock on the unprovoked bombing of the party’s secretariat. He said: “The bungalow was bombed with dynamites. It caused fire that raged for some hours before it was put out by members of the party and some courageous people of the coastal community. “We are calling on the security agencies and government to come to our aid, because we are no longer safe in Ngo. Anything can happen in the night. The PDP thugs and their leaders are very desperate to win the February 2015 elections, in spite of being unpopular in Andoni LGA and other parts of Rivers State. “I received a call around 3 a.m. that the APC’s secretariat at Ngo was bombed and on fire. I am calling on the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in the area and the Rivers Commissioner of Police (Dan Bature) to investigate the matter.”

  • Ogun APC senatorial candidate gets royal blessing

    Ogun APC senatorial candidate gets royal blessing

    The ambition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Ogun West senatorial zone, Prince Gbolahan Dada, received royal endorsement on Monday when he visited the palace of Olota Of Ota, Oba Moshood Alani Oyede (Arolagbade 111).

    The traditional chiefs of Ota were also on hand to receive Dada who was accompanied to the palace by notable indigenes of the town and APC stalwarts including a former federal lawmaker, Hon. Kunle Salako, Chief Jide Ojuko and Chairman of Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government, Hon. Rotimi Rahman.

    While presenting Dada to Oba Oyede for his royal blessing, Chief Ojuko explained that the visit was a necessary home coming for the candidate in his bid to secure the support of the monarch for a victorious outing during the election in February.

    Dada thanked Oba Oyede and other monarchs for their fatherly role and assured them of his willingness to sustain the laudable strides recorded by Governor Ibikunle Amosun administration.

    He said: “I purposely join politics to make a better change.The administration of Governor Ibikunle Amosun has recorded giant strides in road construction, uplift of education sector among others; next would be water and adequate power supply.

    “Our party cannot provide jobs for the teeming jobless youths in the country but we will provide enabling environment to make people self-reliant. This among other reasons is why I have decided to serve our people. The journey ahead will no doubt be tough, but we will lay a good foundation for our society, because a society that has a good foundation will have moral values.”

    Dada explained to the gathering how he emerged as the party’s candidate saying: “My emergence as the party’s flag bearer did not come on a platter of gold. I went through the party’s primary and I secured over 60 per cent of the total votes cast to become the winner of the senatorial ticket. Coincidentally, all of us who are the three senatorial candidates of our great party in Ogun State are princes and this shows that our party is a party of those with royal blood.”

     In his remarks, Oba Oyede commended Dada for his exemplary character and leadership virtues, urging the indigenes of the town to support his quest to represent them in the senate.

  • Group targets one million volunteers for APC

    Group targets one million volunteers for APC

    Ahead of the general elections, a  group, the Coalition for Change, has unfolded plans to raise one million volunteers in each state to mobilise support for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    At its inauguration held at the APC campaign office, Victoria Island, the group said that Nigerians cannot stand another four years of the Jonathan Administration.

    While appreciating the various volunteers for their overwhelming support for its presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, and his running mate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, the coalition said it campaign focus will be in line with the objectives of the campaign organisation.

    Addressing the volunteers,  APC chieftain  Dr. Tunde Ayeye said they would engage  door to door mobilisation,  preaching the message of change to the people.

    He said God has given to Nigeria two people, Buhari and Osinbajo, who are men of   integrity. He said they posses leadership qualities, adding that they have the genuine desire to serve.

    Ayeye said  the ticket signifies hope in the midst of despair, urging volunteers to convince the people to vote APC.

    He said: “I am certain that there is hope for Nigeria with the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket. A lot of people despite the desoaur in the land, have committed their time and are determined to be the desired change.

    “We want to ensure citizens rights and responsibilities are fulfilled. We will do everything within the ambit of the law to ensure that.

    “We are members of the same team and working for the same purpose. We found out that a lot of individuals and groups have shown interest and believe that the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket is the best option for our country today.

    He added: “They are ready and willing to commit their time and money to ensure that it becomes a reality. At the moment, different individuals and groups are doing different things towards the same purpose and so, we decided to form a coalition to harmonise each group’s strength and sphere of influence by ensuring that we preach the same message and there is coordination.

    “We want to ensure consistency and strategy in the delivery of our objectives, which is we must ensure change come February 14. That change is going to come through the power of the ballot box. Everyman is equal on February 14. The election day is one day that all fingers are equal and we are the ones to ensure that the change happens.

    “The time is short but with the kind of spirit, willingness and commitment that we see, I am confident that the time we have is probably too much.

    “The campaign office decided to create a hunt called the C4C to ensure that every individual or group volunteers take their root from the coalition. The coalition is just an umbreka body that will galvanise and bring everybody together for the singular purpose.

     

    •This page ought to have come out yesterday  –  Editor

  • PDP commends Jonathan, Buhari on peace pact

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has commended its presidential candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan and the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari , for signing the pact on non-violence ahead of 2015 general election.

    In a statement issued on Thursday by PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, the party said the pact was in line with the irrevocable commitment of the PDP to peace and progress of the nation at all times.

    The party added that it had already demonstrated its resolve for peaceful polls by ensuring that its members adhere strictly to its code of conduct on violence free polls.

    The statement said: “It is timely therefore to urge the leadership of the APC to move beyond signing of the peace pact by genuinely taking practical steps to rein in members, especially, the horde of brigand thugs already on the loose in parts of the country, or be held responsible for any failure.

    “With the completion of the APC’s campaign rallies in the South East and South South without slightest incidence of harassment or violence, the PDP has emphatically demonstrated its unflinching resolve for peaceful campaigns as well as ideological stricture to plurality of opinions and electoral choice even in areas considered its most impregnable fortes.

    “We hence advise the APC to take a cue and urgently forestall plans by miscreants acting in its name to disrupt PDP campaign rallies in some parts of the North. APC must withdraw its violent prone membership from the red line.”

  • PDP, APC candidates seek acceptable poll

    PDP, APC candidates seek acceptable poll

    President Goodluck Jonathan and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari spoke during the session. Both called for action on the loopholes in the electoral system.

    President Jonathan noted that three major factors fuel electoral violence. They include provocative statements from politicians, religious and ethnic incitement.

    He admitted he had also made provocative statements.

    He said: “We make statements that are so provocative. When we are making these statements, the younger ones are listening. Your followers who call themselves your fans are listening to you. We threaten our opponents too.

    “If you threaten somebody that he will go to jail if you take over government, that person will like to fight to defend himself from going to jail. I am not talking of presidential candidates; I am talking of our followers.

    “My conviction is that we must avoid provocative statements and issuing threats to ourselves.

    “One thing that we need to rethink is the issue of clearing candidates by intelligence agencies.

    “When we came on board in 1999, candidates were cleared by the SSS and if you are linked to any kind of violent behaviour or cultism, you cannot be cleared. But the National Assembly changed this, saying that it is the parties that will screen and clear candidates.”

    “I belong to the ruling party. Even in PDP, we do not have the capacity to screen our candidates at that level. The only competent body that can do that is the intelligence agencies. Since then, all kinds of character contest elections.”

    The President added: “For example, if a cultist takes the ticket to contest the chairmanship of a local government, you cannot stop him because there is no structure to do so. But before this time, they were stopped.”

    He also noted that religious leaders preached hate to instigate their followers to be confrontational and label some people or candidates as the enemies of their faith.

    The third factor, Jonathan said, is the provocative pronouncement by ethnic or tribal leaders.

    “Some of them make provocative statements that are very inflammatory as if they want to divide the country,” he said.

    On the way forward, the President said: “Then, we must do certain things to stop it. We must stop these hate preaching, instigating crises, threatening others, provocative and inflammatory statements by people, whether they are traditional or religious leaders, or ethnic nationalities leaders. We must stop this. We can practise politics without bitterness.”

    “We must accept that the struggle to rule is not struggle to conquer. Whenever you win election, you will rule the whole country and not only your political party members so that at the end of the election, everybody must be your friends and followers.”

    To Jonathan, there are two things concerning INEC that are worrisome.

    He said “Firstly, people are complaining that they don’t have the Permanent Voter Cards or PVCs. If some people do not have their PVCs, the conclusion is that from the beginning, INEC wants to rig the election and there is the tendency for this to lead to violence.”

    “I have told INEC they must make sure that every eligible Nigerian is able to vote. This is a recipe for violence.”

    “The second thing is that in 2011, INEC was able to conduct the election with the temporary voters card and every one appreciated the election that it was credible. But INEC wants to go further by deploying technology this time around. Now the technology is being misunderstood by some people.

    “They say people have capacity to manipulate or hack or cloned and so on. So INEC must tell Nigerians in very clear terms so that Nigerians will believe in the result of the election. They must show that the methods adopted are very safe. What I am saying is that there is this apprehension, this fear, people believe that their votes may not be reflected. We will be in trouble. INEC must in a very clear terms tell Nigerians that the system they are deploying is safe. All of them who are qualified to vote will vote, that nobody will manipulate the PVCs to his own party’s advantage. This will give people hope and the tendency to accept the results will be higher  while the tendency for violence will be reduced. That is for the immediate.”

    On the way forward, he called for the review of laws, as he noted that the present system of winner takes all is causing problems.

    He said: “We need to rejig our laws that will not encourage violence.

    “That is why in some kind of democracy they vote first and share the seat-based on the performance of the parties. So the party that is not popular can get something. But based on the winner-takes-all, the party that scored 49% will have nothing in that state. They will not go and sleep but continue to create problems in that state. So the National Assembly will need to revisit the issues of winner-takes-all in terms of parliamentary election.”

    At the executive level, he said, “we should come up with a system that will ensure that when a party wins the Governorship or the presidential at the national level, in forming cabinet, the parties that did very well will also by right, by law and not by privilege or discretion of Mr Governor or Mr. President, be meant to have a share of appointments in that government.”

    “If this is done, they will be mindful of their conducts and utterances. Some countries say 50+1 votes. In Nigeria, they say you must get majority of the votes in 25% of the 2/3 of the states, but in some it is 51+1 and the other party with 49% is completely out of the government. They cannot just go and sleep. So I believe that there must be a way out of these violence even if we made them unique to Nigeria,” Jonathan said.

    Gen. Buhari reflected on the conduct of the last elections and the insincerity of the electoral umpires in ensuring a transparent election, pointing out however that he believed that nobody can cage Nigerians.

    Gen. Buhari said: “Some of the speeches so far are based  on hope. Some of these hopes are in the files because of our nasty experiences. What happened in 2003, 2007 and 2011 when we contested the general elections and ended up in the Supreme Court.

    “The three Supreme Court judgements are available with the government printers for all those who are really serious to know what is happening in our political development.

    “When the military eventually surrendered to the multi polarity democratic system 16 years ago, we hoped that we should have learnt from the developed countries that went through the painful processes of stabilising their system rather than insisting on making the same mistakes.

    “I will give a few examples, which I am sure most of you will recall.

    Some of you know by name Retired Justice Salami who was heading the presidential election panel.

    “We made a presentation that in a number of states, the election was not conducted in accordance with the Electoral Act and the states were mentioned. We demanded that the register be brought to prove our case and the panel said there was nothing wrong with that and INEC was asked to comply. It was not produced.

    “Justice Salami was redeployed and another Judge was brought who reversed that decision. That has become history. The impression that has been created by those who have intellectually followed elections in Nigeria is that of hope and I accept their hope.

    “But when you look at the constitution as amended, especially as it concerns INEC, it requires that they register political association into political parties and to make sure that every person from the councillor to the president come through a political party.

    “It was proceeded that before every election, there must be an Electoral Act. There was one in 2002 for the 2003 election, there was one in 2006 for the 2007 election, there was one in 2010 for the 2011 election. Up to December 31, 2014, I was waiting for the amended Electoral Act for this year’s election and I am yet to see one.

    “So, on paper, you can’t cage Nigerians. You can only cage Nigerians on the field. In terms of practical documentation, go to any ministry or parastatal, you will get instruction on how the place should be managed from the cleaner to the permanent secretary and even the minister when he comes.

    “You will also get financial instruction on how to spend the money. I am afraid because of my personal experiences having gone through the system. All these credible, tested intellectual instruction have been thrown into the waste basket.

    “I am very impressed about the contributions made so far and the fact that we have all seen how Nigeria is so competent on paper and I hope that the elite will help us to make 2015 elections credible”

  • Igbo mobilises for APC

    Igbo mobilises for APC

    A social group, Igbo Political Coalition (IPC)has pledged to support the vitory of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the coming election.

    The group leader Chief Livinus Nnodebem said IPC has always supported  the progressives since 1999, noting that it will repeat same during elections.

    He said: “Some think we Igbo do not speak with one voice. That is not true. If some are claiming that, maybe that happens in the market place. But we have fathers who speak and other people will comply with whatever they say.

    ‘’We have aligned ourselves with the progressives since 1999 and it will continue like that. APC has never lost in our area and they will never lose.

    “From the top I’m sure the party is doing everything to ensure victory. We in the grassroot are doing same,’’ he said.

    Nnodeben said  Igbo man in Lagos will do everything possible to ensure APC won because of the vast property they have in Lagos.

    Also speaking, another leader Chief Ben Nnakise said the APC has made remarkable impact in the lives of the people of the state, stressing that it has to continue.

    “As a leader, I can tell you categorically that we speak with one voice. We are sensitising our people and telling them why it is important to reach out and smoke out Igbo in their neighbourhood to vote en masse for APC. Already, we have identified with APC in Lagos and are present in other local councils in Lagos.

    Nnakise who hails from Nnewi, Anambra State added that 45 percent of the Igbo people constitute the voting population the constituecy he resides in Lagos.